Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting of the machines.
Consequently, shrewd operators strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available because such machines attract frequent play and, hence, increase profitability to the operator. In the competitive gaming machine industry, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to produce new types of games, or enhancements to existing games, which will attract frequent play by enhancing the entertainment value and excitement associated with the game.
Some gaming machines employ video displays either as a main display or in the top box area as a secondary display. Ready access from the front of the gaming machine to the areas behind or beside these displays is desirable to facilitate rapid servicing or replacement without prolonged downtime. Downtime decreases operator profitability. The ability to quickly change or upgrade the top box electronics allows the operator to keep the most exciting and attractive games on the floor without taking the gaming machine offline for extended periods of time. One approach to provide access to the electronics behind a secondary display is to mount the secondary display to trunnions attached to the top box frame. The secondary display thus pivots about the trunnions permitting access to the electronics located behind the display. A shortcoming of this approach is that the weight of the secondary display causes it to succumb to gravity and settle about its center of gravity. Another shortcoming is that the operator must release a side-accessible spring pin in order to pivot the secondary display. The spring pin occupies space around the sides of the display, imposing a constraint on the size of the display that can be installed.
Thus, there is a need for a releasable mounting system that overcomes the foregoing and other shortcomings. The present invention fulfills this and other needs.